INCREASING TOLL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 April 1941, Page 6

INCREASING TOLL

TAk'EN OF IFBOATS WITH LARGER NUMBERS EMPLOYED. ADMIRALTY STATEMENT. f (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.5 a.m.) RUGBY. April 8. An Admiralty communique states: ‘ Our offensive against the U-boats continues with ever-increasing vigour. As has been pointed out, fluctuations in the success of our anti-U-boat campaign and in the merchant ship losses which we sustain must be expected. The number of U-boats operating lately has been large and our counter-mea-sures have recently met with correspondingly greater success. In anti-U-boat warfare, it is frequently impossible to save life and wo have a record of many U-boats that have been destroyed from which no prisoners were recovered. Nevertheless wo have in our hands as prisoners of war from U-boats which have been sunk more than 50 German officers and considerably over 400 German petty officers and men. There arc also in our hands a number of prisoners of war from I Italian U-boats.

Among the German U-boat captains who are prisoners is Commander Otto Kritschmer, captain of U-boat 99. He is regarded in Germany as one of the most notably successful of her U-boat commanders. In August. 1940. he was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Last December, Hitler bestowed on him the Oak Leaves, denoting a higher class of this decoration. He recently received special promotion. J